May is Mental Health Awareness Month. For All Seasons is celebrating with a focus on the theme “Strong Communities Begin with Connection,” as the agency introduces a range of resources through its Center for Learning to help individuals of all ages, businesses, and nonprofits strengthen their mental health and collaboratively create a healthier community for all. This month also serves as a reminder to check in on each other’s mental health and share resources when needed among our families and friends.

As part of its Mental Health Awareness Month activities, For All Seasons’ Center for Learning is highlighting that youth mental health is shaped by both adversity and positive experiences. Trauma can affect how young people think, feel, and behave. At the same time, consistent relationships and positive experiences can build strength and change trajectories. Research shows that, while traumatic experiences can and do happen to young people, caring adults who consistently provide positive interactions and a sense of belongingness can cultivate resilience.  By focusing on the supportive, grounding experiences that help children manage life and stay connected, For All Seasons’ Center for Learning is helping the community as a whole thrive.

To that end, For All Seasons invites community members to participate in a free Lunch and Learn session – Thriving Kids: Changing the Story of Trauma Through Positive Childhood Experiences – to be held in person and via Zoom on Thursday, May 14, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at 111 E. Dover Street in Easton. The event is free and open to the public and includes boxed lunches for those in attendance.

Complementing this lunch and learn session, the agency is launching a new online course, Thriving Kids: Changing the Story of Trauma.  Normally priced at $249 per person, this on-demand online course is being offered for free in the month of May in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month. The course is designed for those who work closely with youth – mentors, coaches, those in education, and even parents and caregivers. Participants will earn seven professional development credit hours while learning more about the role they play in helping youth build resilience and positive mental health.

For All Seasons is already putting this approach into practice through a partnership with Talbot Mentors, engaging parents, grandparents, and mentors in a series focused on supporting healthy, thriving children and families. The program brings participants together around shared challenges and practical solutions, with sessions covering topics such as adversity, Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs), youth and adolescent mental health, self-care, and ways to help young people build meaningful connections with both adults and peers.

The series is designed to create space for honest conversation while equipping participants with tools they can apply in their daily lives with the youth around them. By building connections among caregivers and reinforcing the role of supportive relationships, the program reflects the same principles highlighted in the Center for Learning’s broader Mental Health Awareness Month efforts.

Talbot Mentor participants have shared about their experiences, “As a parent, I often question whether I’m doing the right things or if I have the proper support in place. This series reassures me that I’m not alone in those thoughts,” “The sessions are grounded in real-life experiences rather than textbook scenarios, which makes them more relatable and engaging,” and “It’s empowering to focus on both my own mental health and my child’s, alongside others who are unafraid to do the same.”

“For All Seasons is helping the whole community change by offering courses like this. Our most recent partnership with Talbot Mentors is an example of building a cohort of people armed with information to make a difference in our children’s mental health. That’s powerful,” comments Lauren Weber, Chief Strategy Officer at For All Seasons.

“Honest conversations have evolved in these sessions, which provide practical tools for participants. We are seeing that the general public is hungry for these types of trainings and we are excited that when they come to us with a need, we can meet that need,” Weber adds.

During Mental Health Awareness Month, For All Seasons’ staff will also continue their annual Spread Joy Confetti Activity among the Mid-Shore’s public and private schools and interested businesses.

For further information about any of For All Seasons’ course offerings for individuals or groups, visit the Center for Learning at https://centerforlearning.forallseasonsinc.org/education/ or call (410) 822-1018. To register for the Lunch and Learn, visit https://PCELunch.eventbrite.com.

Caption: Pictured, left to right, are Javana Bowser, Senior Match Support Specialist at Talbot Mentors, with Lauren Weber, Chief Strategy Officer at For All Seasons. For All Seasons recently partnered with Talbot Mentors to help family members/caregivers learn new tools related to children’s mental health issues.